As preseason starts, four holdouts remain

With Lions defensive end Cliff Avril reporting for duty in Detroit, a total of four holdouts remain.

Each comes from a different category of holdout.

The lone remaining franchise player who has opted not to sign his franchise tender is Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe (pictured). All others either have negotiated long-term deals or accepted their one-year, big-money, guaranteed pay.

Bowe can show up only a few days before the start of the regular season and receive the full amount of his $9.5 million tender. Or he can show up as late as the Tuesday after Week 10, get credit for the season, and force the Chiefs to decide whether to use the tag on him again in 2012 (at $11.4 million) or to let him hit the market. The latter option means he’d lose $5.58 million.

Either way, he won’t be ready to make much of an impact in new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s attack.

Steelers receiver Mike Wallace is an unsigned restricted free agent. He’s in the same boat as Bowe, but with a much lower one-year salary of $2.7 million. If he shows by the Tuesday after Week 10, he becomes an unrestricted free agent in March 2013 — subject to the franchise tag, which the Steelers probably won’t use given the magnitude of the contract given to Antonio Brown.

Like Bowe, Wallace is missing reps and opportunities in a new offense, under Bowe’s former boss, Todd Haley.

Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon is an unsigned draft pick. The fifth overall selection presumably is at an impasse with the Jags regarding the protections the teams will use to ensure against another DUI or alcohol-related incident, in the wake of Blackmon’s post-draft 0.24-percent blood-alcohol result.

Then there’s Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, the only holdout who is under contract, and thus incurring $30,000 per day in fines. Someone has to blink in order to resolve this one, since the Jags have said there will be no adjustment of his current contract, which has two years remaining.

Like Bowe and Wallace, Jones-Drew needs to learn a new offense.

Chances are they’ll all show up at some point this season. But with four of them dug in fairly strongly at this point, there’s a chance at least one will not be with his team when the real games start, exactly one month from tonight.

20 responses to “As preseason starts, four holdouts remain”

We Chiefs fans do not know why Bowe couldnt reach a long term agreement in time or why he is holding out from camp. The local media passes some crazy rumors around but none seem to be true. there have been no reports as to the reasons for all this on this site or anywhere in the national media. How come PFT has not reported any reasons? Can PFT let us know whats going on? We are getting appauled by the lack of coverage and info on Bowe

MJD, in my opinion has the strongest cause. The Jaguars are nothing without him. Their whole offense is garbage. They either acknowledge how important he is (and subsequently worth more money) they can start thinking about replacing Blaine Gabbert wirth Matt Barkley right now!

THE GREAT DETROIT LIONS
If these guys won’t to hold out let them this is a none story, every player out their can be replace.

The Lions will trade Cliff Arvil by the 6th game as the DE’s get hurt he will be on the block because next year he will walk, when he turn down 30mil for 3 years I feel like he was gone to the high bid.

How important is the RB position…….4 of the 5 leading rushers last year, didn’t make the playoffs….MJD…get to camp, your not that important. You got paid when you signed your contract as the 3rd highest paid RB….finish your contract you signed….I’ll take a trade for Mike Wallace, straight up…

“Marv says:
Aug 5, 2012 7:51 PM
MJD, in my opinion has the strongest cause. The Jaguars are nothing without him. Their whole offense is garbage. They either acknowledge how important he is (and subsequently worth more money) they can start thinking about replacing Blaine Gabbert wirth Matt Barkley right now!”

MJD has 2 years left and I agree with the team. He is a great rb but the rb position doesn’t win too many games. Proof you need, 5-11 and the rushing title.

The Jaguars gave MJD a great contract which he willingly signed because he wanted a long term deal….now he should deal with it. If you think he deserves more money, send it to him out of your wallet, I am sure he won’t turn it down.

And Blackmon has the weakest..Any rookie that holds out very long historically has a bad start to their career and mediocre career after that..not all but percentage wise he’s on the wrong side. This guy is going to be another headache like his buddy in Dallas. And with the QB he has the longer he sits the worse it’s going to be.

I’m glad the Vikes avoided the Blackmon headache. Dude, you haven’t taken one snap in the NFL, your in the substance abuse program already, and your acting like a diva already? Get your butt to camp and quit being a d-bag to the Jags franchise and their fans.

3 diva wide recievers (surprise!) and one guy trying to secure his future because the way its going in Jacksonville, he might not have a very bright one or a long one. I will support MJD, pay that dude!

And Wallace is learning the Steelers don’t do diva. He refused 9 mill a year (allegedly) so screw him. Let him sit out, the steelers will find a way without him just like they always have. Wallace should be ashamed of himself.

Bowe will never get Fitzgerald money. He is way past that. If he stays in KC, he will get somewhere in the area of 10 mil and 4years. If he continues his holdout and comes in just before the season, the fans will boo him out of Arrowhead. Just wait ’till his first drop. Don’t know if it’s him or his agent, but if Bowe doesn’t get in, like now, this could end up badly for him and the Chiefs.

MJD doesn’t deserve to have his contract renegotiated.. he still has two years left on his deal. Rice and Forte got big deals and MJD is still going to make MORE then those two players in the last two years of his contract than they will in the first two years of their contracts. Pay the man? He’s being paid, very well.. he needs to get his butt to camp and quit the act.